Credit card reader for small businesses

One of the biggest challenges that I thought I was going to face with the craft show was if I was going to be able to accept credit cards. The other night, I was talking to my best friend and her husband and he suggested that I get one of those readers that hook onto your iPhone.

Today I just happen to catch a commercial for Square. It’s a card reader that can hook into an iPhone, iPad or Android phone. If you go to their website, Squareup.com, you can watch the video and it explains how the machine works. The best part is that you don’t get charged a monthly or yearly fee. They charge you 2.75% of the purchase price if you swipe the card and 3.5% plus $.15 per transaction if you manually enter the card.

I thought that I discovered something new. I posted this information on some of the community boards in Etsy and apparently I’m late to the party. : ) But, I did get a couple of good responses from people who have used the reader. Everyone was raving about it. It’s cheaper than Etsy (they charge $.20 to list an item and then 3.5% of the total transaction) and so convenient.

One of the coolest features of the card reader is called Square register for the iPad. You can take pictures of your items and include pricing so that when your customer purchases that item, all the pertinent information is already there! You can also keep track of your regular customers and have them check out by name or offer them “loyalty discounts”. There are videos to show how vendors are using the products and how easy it is to use!

Once I actually get the reader and can use it, I’ll write a post reviewing it. If anyone has used it and has any tips or advice, please leave a comment. I’m curious to see what everyone thinks!

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About scrapsecrets

Fairly new to scrapbooking and learning as I go. I wanted to share some of my tips with others who may be new to scrapbooking or card making. Feel free to comment or make suggestions on any of my work or ideas - I love feedback! Especially if it's about a new product I should try - I love getting new material!
Check out my other blog thecreativeconsultant.wordpress.com for tips on party planning, ideas for party themes and how to stretch your party budget!
*I do not get paid to endorse any of the products and/or retailers I talk about in my blog.*